Air District regulation can protect public health and climate by blocking Big Oil’s push to bring in dirtier crudes
WHAT: Press conference one day before a Bay Area Air Quality Management District board meeting that could advance a rule limiting toxic refinery pollution and greenhouse gases.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 14, 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Outside the Bay Area Air Quality Management District headquarters, 375 Beale Street #600, San Francisco, CA 94105
WHO: Air District board member and San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos, residents of impacted communities, public health advocates, refinery workers, and environmental organizers will call on the Air District board to swiftly implement numeric caps on refinery emissions at today’s levels to address climate disruption and health impacts that disproportionately impact refinery-corridor communities.
On Tuesday, June 14th, a broad coalition of refinery corridor residents and environmental justice advocates will stand with elected officials to push for a landmark environmental regulation that will cap toxic refinery emissions.
The Bay Area’s five oil refineries are the region’s biggest industrial polluters, yet today there are no facility-wide emission limits. The oil industry is pushing to exploit that loophole by locking in higher-emitting tar sands projects while the bureaucracy sleeps.
At the Wednesday, June 15th Air District board meeting, Air District staff will present four strategies to lower refinery emissions. The best option for lowering climate-warming emissions and toxic pollution would establish numeric caps on emissions at today’s levels.
At the press conference on Tuesday, representatives of the Community-Worker Coalition will stand in support of the numeric caps proposal. They will demand that all four proposals be environmentally reviewed and put before the Board of Directors for a final vote in September.
The Community-Worker Coalition includes Communities for a Better Environment, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter, Sunflower Alliance, 350 Bay Area, California Nurses Association, Bay Area Refinery Corridor Coalition, Richmond Progressive Alliance, and Community Science Institute.
Contacts:
Andrés Soto, Communities for a Better Environment, 510-282-5363, andres@cbecal.org
Ratha Lai, Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter, 562-760-1005, ratha.lai@sierraclub.org
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